Nursing bottle



Oct.5, l937. A, PUETZ 2,094,721

NURSING BOTTLE Filed Nov. 22, 1955 Patented Oct. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES aetiazl PATET HQ 3 Claims.

This invention relates to nursing bottles, particularly of such construction wherein means are provided to admit air into the nursing bottle to prevent a negative pressure therein during the feeding of the baby, and has for its main object to provide a novel method and means for such admission of the air whereby the drawbacks accompanying similar devices and methods now in use or proposed for such purpose will be eliminated. I I

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the character mentioned which will prevent a leakage from the nursing bottle during the feeding of the baby, while providing for the admission of air.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent as the specification of the same proceeds, and among others I may mention: to provide a nursing bottle having means for the admission of air 20 which will require no supervision or care while the baby is feeding therefrom, which will be reliable in operation, eflicient, simple, inexpensive, and adapted for hygienic use and such storage of milk therein.

With these and other objects in view, my invention mainly consists in providing a small capillary opening of a specific construction, preferably in the center of the bottom of a nursing bottle, in order to establish a desired type of communication between the inside of the bottle. and the outside atmosphere, and also providing a needle type closure or stopper for said opening which closure device may be easily applied or removed, as desired.

3 The capillary connection between the space within the bottle and the outside atmosphere will render the nursing easier and will prevent the collapse of the nipple, as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

When ordinary nursing'bottles are used, with every suction of the baby, in proportion to the elimination of the milk, the air pressure in the bottle decreases, and finally, on account of the greater outside pressure, the nipple collapses. Even when a strongly built nipple or a glass one is used, adapted to resist compression, the flow of the milk will stop. Consequently the baby will not get any milk and as it keeps on sucking and swallowing, it will swallow the air from its own mouth which will be replaced through the nose. The stomach fills up with air causing a sense of temporary fullness, gas and eructation. After the child relinquishes the nipple, air will be admitted int'o the bottle through the holes in the nipple which will momentarily correct the fault.

In my invention,,with the application of a capillary tube or opening in the bottom of an ordinary nursing bottle, air is admitted behind the milk providing for an added pressure, and by the continuous inflow of air my invention will permit a free and continuous outflow of milk, without the collapse of the nipple, making nursing easier, preventing the swallowing of air, and avoiding the mentioned troubles.

Another advantage of my invention is that for the admission of air, I donot use simply an opening or a valve which, even in the most simple form, would be cumbersome and unreliable, but a capillary channel. This capillary channel, in order to prevent contamination of the milk while stored in the bottle, will be closed by a rustless steel wire or needle stopper having a rubber head said stopper being adapted to be removed after the first sucking by the baby, while it will assure faultless and reliable working, it will not leak.

The said stopper also makes it possible to use the bottle for storage of the milk in a hygienic manner rendering any change in the approved system of preparing food for the entire day unnecessary.

In the drawing, forming a part of this specification and accompanying the same:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the lower part of a nursing bottle to which my invention has been applied, while Fig. 2. is a side elevation on an enlarged scale of a preferred form of a stopper or closure device to be used with my invention.

Referring, now, to the drawing more closely, by characters of reference, the numeral 4 indicates a nursing bottle, in general, the lower part of the bottle being only shown, and the upper part thereof being of any of the usual standard type. I want, however, to remark that my inven tion mainly is designed for bottles of the sucking type, where the baby is fed while lying, and sucks the liquid from the bottle, which is the case of the small helpless babies. The other, the socalled lifting type of bottle where the baby may be fed in a sitting position and the liquid is raised or lifted in the bottle is not adapted for very small babies, to aid in the feeding of which my invention primarily is designed.

The bottom of the bottle is indicated by the numeral 5 and in this embodiment it is shown as being inwardly curved or concave having an inwardly projecting boss l in its center in which is formed a capillary tube 2 establishing communication between the inside space within the bottle and the outside atmosphere.

By a capillary tube, I understand .a tube of extremely small diameter preferably about corresponding to the bore of a 2223 gauge surgical needle, that is twenty-nine one thousandths of an inch. Of course the bottom of the bottle: may be shaped in a different manner and the capillary tube may be formed by various other means, constructions and designs than those shown in the drawing, I however, prefer to place the same in the center of the bottom of the bottle and in an enlargement or boss I thereof to give it required length.

When feeding a very small helpless baby the bottle is in a laying inclined position and the liquid therein will be fed by the nursing operation which is a special kind of mouth suction by lowering of the jaw and compression and expansion of the nipple, for which purpose the.

sion 3 in the bottom of the bottle at the opening or mouth of the capillary tube 2.

When the baby is being fed, the bottle being in the inclined position, I remove the stopper or closure device 6 from the capillary tube 2 after the first few suctions. Normally a negative pressure or depression would develop in the air space, over the fluid in the bottle, and would make feeding difficult and harmful for the baby, as has been mentioned hereinbefore. With my capillary tube 2 air may filter or slowly flow into the air space within the bottle and restore the air pressure therein, while according to my experience, a small negative pressure may remain, amounting to about 3 millimeter mercury pressure. While,

:the baby will have no difliculty to feed with this slight negative pressure, the necessary active work without putting the baby to hardship will properly influence the gastric secretion, etc. the small negative pressure in the bottle will aid in preventing leakage of the liquid through the capillary tube whenever by accident the liquid may reach the said tube.

The escape or leakage of the liquid through the capillary tube will further be prevented by the well-known action thereof in retarding the movement of the liquid therethrough.

But aside of these facts, the position of the capillary tube in the center of the bottom of the bottle will also normally prevent the liquid from reaching the same, so that it will be seen that I provide a nursing bottle with a capillary communication to the outside atmosphere wherein during feeding the liquid will not touch or reach the capillary opening and even if it does there are strong means provided to prevent a leakage thereof.

My bottle therefore is primarily adapted for the feeding of small babies, and will need no surveyance, care or watching while the baby is being fed.

When the bottle is not used for feeding the stopper device 6 may be inserted into the capillary opening 2, as will be obvious, thereby providing a reliable closure for the bottle which may again easily be removed any time it is desired to use the bottle for nursing.

The rustless wire or needle portion 7 of the closure device will fit and tightly close the capillary tube 2 while the outer compressible rubber head 8 may be pressed into the depression or recess 3 forming the mouth of the capillary tube 2 and thereby providing an additional sealing of the bottle when it is not used for nursing.

With such closure the bottle may be easily and conveniently used for the storage of the milk which is a great advantage in nursing since it will not necessitate a separate storing of the milk and the transmitting thereof into the nursin bottle, making the storage and nursing sterile and more hygienic by keeping the milk in a sterilized condition and not necessitating a further handling thereof.

To facilitate the use of my nursing bottle for storage, I form the bottom thereof in the concave manner as described and in any case I prefer to have the enlarged opening or recess 3 provided at the mouth of the capillary tube 2 so that the rubber stopper 8 may be sunk there-into and not protrude over the surface of the bottle at the mouth of the capillary tube.

I am aware of the fact that nursing bottles have been made or proposed with openings in their walls to establish a communication of the air space with the outside atmosphere for restoring the air pressure therein, but none of them shows the great improvements in my bottle described hereinbefore which will provide for such an equalization of the air pressure in a manner that insures against leakage and will not necessitate any special care or supervision while the baby is feeding.

My specific stopper or closure device can be used with openings of other styles; and no such stopper has been used hereinbefore, according to my knowledge, while my stopper will keep the capillary channel and the inside and the contents of the bottle clean, protected and sterile. My stopper also will adapt the nursing bottle to be used for storage. My design for the capillary opening and for the stopper and their arrangement in the bottle will also make it easy to keep the bottle and all these parts clean and sterilized.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I am aware of the fact that changes and modifications may be made in the construction and application thereof, and I desire to reserve my rights to such changes and modifications which are within the spirit of this specification and the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

What I claim as new is:

1. For a nursing bottle, having a capillary tube communication between the inside of the bottle and the outside atmosphere, and an enlarged outer opening or mouth for said tube, a closure device having a substantially corrosion resisting needle shaped stem portion to tightly close the capillary tube and a head of compressible material like rubber fitting into said enlarged mouth opening.

2. For a nursing bottle, having a tube like opening between the inside thereof and the outside atmosphere, and an enlarged recess or mouth for said opening, a removable closure device comprising a needle shaped portion of substantially corrosion resisting material, and an enlarged head portion of compressible material, like rubber, fitting into said tube and into its enlarged mouth, respectively.

3. In a nursing bottle, a narrow channel in the wall of the bottle between the inside thereof and the outside atmosphere, said channel having an enlarged mouth opening on the outside, a closure device for said channel having a stem like plug proper removably fitting into said narrow channel, and a head in said recess.

ANTHONY PUETZ. 

